How To Improve Shoulder Flexibility With These Easy Tips

When it comes to common injuries, often related to physical exertion and exercise, the shoulders are often the first muscle group to become damaged and injured, causing a person a great deal of pain and discomfort in the process.

Even if the shoulders become ever so slightly damaged, they can still suffer a loss or a lack of flexibility, which can make life in general rather difficult.

Whether you’ve injured your shoulder or shoulders in the past, or whether they could just stand to gain a little extra flexibility, there are exercises and things that a person can do to help gain mobility and flexibility, many of them are relatively easy to do as well.

Here are a few exercises and stretches designed to help improve flexibility in the shoulders.

Pull throughs

These exercises are easy to perform, are quick to perform, and they only require a 4- 6ft long stick or pole.

How to do Pull throughs

1. Begin in a standing position with a stick or pole held down by your midsection.
2. Take a wide grip and slowly and carefully lift the pole upwards towards your chest, keeping it as close to your body as possible.
3. Lift it until you can’t lift any higher, and then rotate your shoulders and push the pole overhead until both of your arms are completely extended.
4. Bring the pole ever so slightly behind your head, before lowering it back down to your waist and repeating for a further, 8 – 10 reps.

Sots press

This is another exercise that’s quick and easy to perform, and only requires a pole or a stick. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

How To Do Sots Press

1. Start off by holding the pole behind your neck with a wide grip.
2. Next, lift and push the pole directly overhead and squat down into a complete squat.
3. Imagine that you’re using the pole to push your entire body down in order to complete the squat.
4. Keep the pole ever so slightly behind your head as you complete this exercise.
5. Slowly raise yourself up from the squatting position, lowering the pole back behind your neck at the same time as you raise yourself up.
6. Once you’re back in the original starting position, repeat for a further 6 – 8 reps.

Shoulder retractions and presses

This exercise is absolutely ideal for increasing mobility and flexibility in the shoulders, and just like the others, all you require is a simple pole or stick.

How To Do Shoulder Retractions and Presses

1. To begin this exercise, grip the pole with a wide grip, and position it directly behind your upper back.
2. Retract your shoulder blades carefully and slowly bring the pole down your back as low as you can possibly get it.
3. Pull your shoulder blades down as far as possible, making sure to squeeze them together as you do so.
4. Push the pole back up overhead until your arms are completely extended.
5. The pole should be just ever so slightly positioned behind your neck when your arms are extended.
6. Repeat for 10 – 12 reps.